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Valleyfair (VF) Discussion Thread


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Mr. Frazier told me he really wants to do something about the parking lot. The problem is that it is built over a bog. The ground heaves quite abit in this area. He has been working with a local paving contractor to try and develope a parking lot that is flexible and can move without cracking. This local contractor is working on such a pavement. Maybe they can team up and Valleyfair can be their testing grounds.

 

It would be easier to just put in a new drainage system. If they can fix the horrible drainage problem of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, I'm pretty damn sure they can fix a Minnesota parking lot.

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I'm also wondering on if having two inverts so visible from the entrance would be odd. Would it look to the GP like too much of the same thing? I'd love an invert further back in the park to make the walk worth it. Renegade is great and all, but there's nothing else anchoring that far back part of the park.

 

Look at Kings Island: Banshee, Bat, and Invertigo all in the Action Zone with a Vekoma junior invert a stone's throw away. And then over at Dorney Park, Stinger and Possessed are practically interlocking, with Talon within spitting distance. And your point being what now?

 

It was a question on others' thoughts, not necessarily a point.

 

But if I had to make one, it's usually better to have a park's best coasters far from the entrance to attract people deeper into the park.

 

The front of the park is generally not where you want your guests hanging out. It makes it too easy for them to leave and get lunch from their cars, etc. They spend less money. My 'point', I guess, is that while a coaster over the entrance would rock, Valleyfair does need a real anchor in the back. I also went on to say that if they put an invert over the entrance and are planning something even bigger at the back (which is likely, they are of course the pro's) that would be perfect and I'm concerned for nothing.

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Mr. Frazier told me he really wants to do something about the parking lot. The problem is that it is built over a bog. The ground heaves quite abit in this area. He has been working with a local paving contractor to try and develope a parking lot that is flexible and can move without cracking. This local contractor is working on such a pavement. Maybe they can team up and Valleyfair can be their testing grounds.

 

It would be easier to just put in a new drainage system. If they can fix the horrible drainage problem of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, I'm pretty damn sure they can fix a Minnesota parking lot.

I agree. And the way you worded that made me laugh.

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That is great news garyman6!! I guess a coaster for 2016 isn't unlikely! And if there is ONE THING that needs to be completely redone is the PARKING LOT. It is so bad, and they really need to tear all the concrete out and pave a whole new one. It feels awful when driving over it.

 

Try pulling a garbage cart over it. Story of my life

 

Never thought of that, you need to ask them to put a 4-wheel drive suspension on that cart because that parking lot it tough. It was better this year though than the year before for sure but that is not saying much.

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The webcam has been adjusted a little higher so we can see more of the construction area and more of the park in general. Looks like they still have a bit of cleaning up to do before tomorrow night.

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According to a tweet from Dave Frazier, Soak City will not be getting a new entrance, and Subway will apparently be returning next year. I'm okay with them keeping the same SC entrance because it doesn't really matter where it is, but Subway coming back surprises me. I don't know where they would rebuild Subway. Besides, I never see that many people eating at Subway because of how overpriced that food is. Plus, there are three other Subways in Shakopee where you can get the same food at more reasonable prices. He also said that the Games island may or may not come back. I don't see it coming back because there really aren't any places where you could put it.

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According to a tweet from Dave Frazier, Soak City will not be getting a new entrance, and Subway will apparently be returning next year. I'm okay with them keeping the same SC entrance because it doesn't really matter where it is, but Subway coming back surprises me. I don't know where they would rebuild Subway. Besides, I never see that many people eating at Subway because of how overpriced that food is. Plus, there are three other Subways in Shakopee where you can get the same food at more reasonable prices. He also said that the Games island may or may not come back. I don't see it coming back because there really aren't any places where you could put it.

 

That doesn't really surprise me that Subway is returning. they probably bought a franchise. So they're obligated to operate for a set time period. While the prices are high, the nice part of having it at the park is the picky eaters know they can get something they're used to.

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I will likely be going to the park on Saturday, November 1st for my last Valleyfair trip of 2014. Just wondering, does the park stay open between Planet Spooky closing (6pm) and Haunt opening (7pm), or will I have to leave the park for an hour?

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^ The park stays open during that time and you do not have to leave. I am thinking the same thing but it just depends on the weather and that will determine wether I go on the 1st or 2nd. I just have to ride during November for the first time at VF.

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Well, I went to Haunt last night, and despite it being MEA weekend the lines weren't that bad! London Terror definitely won the "best maze of the night" in my opinion, I had some of the most intense scares I have ever had at ValleyScare in there last night. I don't want to bore you all with a long reply here, so if you're interested in a full review about last night, read it here: http://livelaughlovee13.wordpress.com/2014/10/18/haunt-10172014/ ! It's crazy knowing there's only 2 weekends left of Haunt, time flies.

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I know like everyone's done one but I went to Valleyscare for the first time on Thursday night (despite having had a season pass for the last two years and have been going to Valleyfair regularly all my life). I hate being scared and kind of got forced into the mazes I went through but it wasn't too bad.

 

(Disclaimer: my scores mean absolutely nothing.)

 

The first maze we went through was Hellside Farm and I was really psyched up about going through it, but I didn't think it was that scary at all. Maybe they were understaffed on Thursday? There didn't seem like anyone was in there and the ones that were just didn't seem to go for me. The only guy who creeped me out was because he was whispering in my ear and that freaks me out so much. 4/10.

 

Then we did Zombie High and that was cool and I was a lot jumpier. I don't really remember much, too busy hiding behind one of my friends. 6/10.

 

The Cleaver's Bloodshed one. This was the one that I really had to be forced into going through. Like I got dragged into the line. I hate gore. I cried a little. Considered being a vegetarian during it but I'm too picky for that kind of food commitment. 8/10.

 

The Asylum. I was tired and it was almost closing and I wanted to go home, but my coworker friend is so nice and didn't let me consider that option. I tried talking to the people ahead of us in line to calm myself and have something else to focus on but that went out the window once I got in. Eyes got a little watery again. Got scared. Didn't scream (during or at all throughout the night), so I had that going for me (for Thursday night at least). 10/10.

 

As for rides, we went on:

 

Steel Venom. Usually when I go, it seems like it is broken down for some reason or someone threw up. We rode in the 2nd row from the front, good time.

 

Wild Thing. We were in the way back and it was nighttime. That makes for a good ride. Wild Thing kind of bores me now, but that was because of my 18-ride mini-marathon during the summer where we did one ride in each row one night during the summer.

 

Renegade. I love Renegade and that's probably why in the last two years, I've kept track and have been on it almost 250 times. We rode in the back too and it was nighttime and it was good. Ride ops were good too even though I didn't recognize any of them as the regulars from the summer. But I went back today and some of the regulars were there, so at least they're still around. Between Thursday & today I'm at almost 140 rides for the season.

 

Corkscrew. It was the end of the night and we got a re-ride. The other notable part was the roaming scarer who was walking up the grass next to us and I turned to her and was like "you riding with us?" and she responded with "I wish."

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I never worked MEA Thursday, but my theory it that they're forced to limit staff because of the number of people who are in college or work another job. Taking off time Thursday, or skipping a class to work, doesn't work for many people. They're forced to run a skeleton crew of whoever's available, and I'd imagine the best veterans are many of the ones who can't make it. If this is true I wonder how long MEA Thursday will last... it sounds like they got a decent crowd, but the staffing issues may cause them to give it up.

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I was just looking up the long-term forecast for closing weekend, and if this forecast stays true, then the weekend of Oct. 24-26 might be our last weekend for coasters at Valleyfair this year . They are predicting some possible snow and temperatures below 40 degrees on November 1st and 2nd, and I think park shuts down the coasters when temps get below 40 degrees (correct me if I'm wrong). Of course, this is still a while out, and it could change, but I don't want to get my hopes up. It's a bummer because I want to be able to say that I've ridden coasters at Valleyfair in November, but then again, this is MinneSnowta, so the forecast doesn't surprise me.

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^ Let's just hope that changes because I've been planning November 2 for over a month now. That forecast is VERY far out and is most likely wrong, so there may still be hope! Maybe I should do both weeks just to make sure I can get on Renegade a few more times, let's just hope the family wants to...

 

Also, does anyone have pictures (on the ground pictures, not webcam shots) of the construction/destruction?

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^

If you follow Dave Frazier (Valleyfair's General Manager) on Twitter, he has a lot of pictures of the demolition from early last week that he tweeted. Unfortunately no other ground pictures that I'm aware of. I might go to VF next weekend, and if I do, I'll be sure to take some pictures of the demolition/construction and post them here.

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Mr. Frazier told me he really wants to do something about the parking lot. The problem is that it is built over a bog. The ground heaves quite abit in this area. He has been working with a local paving contractor to try and develope a parking lot that is flexible and can move without cracking. This local contractor is working on such a pavement. Maybe they can team up and Valleyfair can be their testing grounds.

 

Thanks for this insight, I was curious if the water table was the primary issue with the parking lot.

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I've never thought that VF's parking lot is as bad/rough as most make it out to be, but that might just be me. If VF does do something with the parking lot in the next few years, they should build a new lot in the orange-sketched area I drew below and use the blue-sketched area for future park expansions because the park needs more expansion room, but I don't think they want to use the areas north and west of the park since they go deeper into the flood plain.

image.jpg.b59d04fe376c769b011b783658190cf4.jpg

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I forgot to mention but I noticed something odd in the parking lot yesterday. There was a square of cones blocking off a very large chunk of the parking area. Could this mean they might be planning to expand a bit into the parking lot, or perhaps it has no relation to the park at all. I've heard many rumors of valleyfair moving the parking lot, and putting attractions in where some of the parking lot is right now.

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^

If the area of cones that you mention borders the park and stays there for a while, maybe it could mean that they're tearing it up. Otherwise, they might just be reserving parking spaces for something else.

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I've never thought that VF's parking lot is as bad/rough as most make it out to be, but that might just be me. If VF does do something with the parking lot in the next few years, they should build a new lot in the orange-sketched area I drew below and use the blue-sketched area for future park expansions because the park needs more expansion room, but I don't think they want to use the areas north and west of the park since they go deeper into the flood plain.

 

They would probably have to make the 'new' parking lot more east/west according to the map below of what land CF owns. Might be the only way to expand the park. If they don't put the new sign out front in the same place of the existing one that will fuel all kinds of speculation.

image.thumb.jpg.221f04b12bcdeb578726a1f2b768c6c9.jpg

Map of land owned by Cedar Fair.

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^

If the area of cones that you mention borders the park and stays there for a while, maybe it could mean that they're tearing it up. Otherwise, they might just be reserving parking spaces for something else.

 

They only stayed for one day (I swept a 7 hour shift) and no one parked there. I also noticed orange and red markings starting where the old games island used to be leading all the way into the employee area. A lot of stuff is going on at valleyfair in terms of mysterious markings. Some aren't even by the soak city expansion

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